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Programme information

Entrepreneurship is the focus of this programme. You will learn about the practicalities and challenges of establishing and running your own product design or manufacturing business.

Our MSc Entrepreneurial Design Management programme explores the makeup of a successful entrepreneur, and looks to uncover how entrepreneurial behaviour and skills can influence and inform the design process.

This programme builds on the strengths of our Design Innovation programmes, by supporting students to develop the skills required to take an idea from the drawing board to the marketplace. Through a series of individual and group projects, you will analyse entrepreneurial behaviour, and evaluate which contributions lead to the success of new product ideas.

English Language requirements

All applicants for admission to Loughborough University must have a qualification in English Language before they can be admitted to any course or programme, whether their first language is English or not.

English Language requirements: IELTS 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in each subtest (Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking) or equivalent.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, IT equipment and other support services. The standard tuition fees for this course for 2018/19 are:

£10,250 (UK/EU)

£23,300 (International)

University fees and charges can be paid in advance and there are several methods of payment, including online payments and payment by instalment. Special arrangements are made for payments by part-time students.

Programme aims

To enhance design skills and knowledge through theoretical and practical application individually and in multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary teams

Develop collaborative behaviour through active learning and team work, analysing and evaluating problems and responding to challenges in real time

To enable graduates to develop their critical thinking and insight to improve their effectiveness as designers

To enable graduates to develop their analytical and research skills through undertaking a substantial entrepreneurial design management and evaluation project

Develop an understanding of the importance of an entrepreneurial attitude in individuals and organisations

Programme modules

This programme covers a wide range of topics; to give you a taster we have expanded on some of the core modules affiliated with this programme and the specific assessment methods associated with each module.

To complete the MSc Entrepreneurial Design Management students must complete 8 x 15 credit modules (4 in the first semester and 4 in the second semester). Students must choose and complete 1 of the 3 optional modules to complete the MSc Entrepreneurial Design Management. All students must complete a Dissertation worth 60 credits.

Core modules

The module will include: visualization, using imagery to envision possible future conditions; journey mapping, assessing the existing experience through the customer's eyes, using customer oriented data collection techniques; value chain analysis, assessing the current value chain that supports the customer's journey; mind mapping, generating insights from exploration activities and using those to create; design criteria; brainstorming, generating ideas; rapid concept development, assembling innovative elements into a coherent proposition that can be explored and evaluated; rapid ‘prototyping', expressing a new concept in a tangible form for exploration, consumer testing, and refinement; consumer testing; and storytelling.

The aim of this module is to enhance your ability to use design approaches and tools for identifying and implementing human centred innovation opportunities. You will be expected to deploy knowledge learned in this module into parallel running Collaborative Project module.

Learning Outcomes

The module will introduce you to a systematic design-based approach aimed at identifying and implementing user centered innovation opportunities.

On completion of this module you should be able to:

Identify when and how to use range of Design Thinking tools;

Select appropriate tools to inform project development;

Appropriate use of the Design Thinking tools in a parallel module;

Develop communication skills in diverse teams;

Developed a systematic approach to tackle complex projects;

Apply tools in a project context;

Work with variety of stakeholders;

Understand how to tackle `wicked' problems;

Be able to deliver a succinct presentation to communicate key facts.

Assessment

This module will enable you to start planning for their major project by focusing first on generating a suitable topic to be explored. The goal is for you to arrive at a feasible, agreed major project plan. You will consolidate your prior learning and use it to develop a learning plan to complete your chosen study pathway.

The aim of the Reflection and Action module is to facilitate your reflection on individual practices and values, and the shifts impacting on design discipline. You will gain a broad understanding of design theories and research in order to inform and shape their dissertation proposal to be developed in the dissertation module.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

Develop a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research and advanced scholarship and display evidence of understanding the requirements of focusing research ideas

Understand what is a reflective practice and its role in design research

Develop a feasible research direction

Plan and pilot a research method suitable to the individuals dissertation

understand the participatory and action research methodologies

reflect, identify and agree a dissertation direction

engage in a sustained piece of individual, academic research on a chosen research method

articulate, carry out and reflect a feasible pilot project

manage their time and resources effectively

use initiative and take responsibility

develop skills in pilot study planning

display evidence of independent research skills

Assessment

The module will locate design within broader cultural issues and practices of creativity and innovation. This module will use the Circuit of Culture and its five interrelated categories (i.e. Identity, Representation, Regulation, Production and Consumption) as framework to explore processes of meaning making.

The aims of this module are to build on concepts introduced in the Identity, Culture & Communication module and the Meaning Making in Design module. It aims to answer ‘What is culture?’, identify its meanings and practices, its production and representation, and show designers as cultural intermediaries.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

Demonstrate your understanding of how designers' practices are interwoven with elements of production and consumption of culture.

Cultural processes which form the culture of circuit

Display the interplay of elements within the culture of circuit in construction of meaning

Identify relation between design and culture

Explain the key concepts of `culture, cultural formation and production in relation design

Assessment

The Design Innovation Project is designed so that students develop and gain experience in using key skills that will enable them to work successfully with various organisational project team members in the face to face and distributed product development process. The module will prepare the students to develop as culturally competent project leaders.

The aim of this module is to provide students with skills for working in design innovation work teams.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module students should be able to:

Develop strategies to plan and execute a project across distributed collaborative teams.

Understand the impact of distributed project teams on project management

Develop and gain experience in using distance communication

Explore cultural issues and concepts with exchanges and project evaluation

Develop skills in generating and ev aluation of project briefs

Demonstrate increased awareness of cultural issues and concepts

Develop strategies to make a contribution diverse project teams

Use distance communication tools

Provide critical feedback to peers

Articulate a project brief and project review criteria

Use digital communication tools

Develop teamwork skills

Develop the means to implement and communicate the strategy to a 'client'

Communicate effectively, with colleagues and a wider audience, in a variety of media

Solve problems in creative and innovative ways

Assessment

This module will include: entrepreneurship and the economy; the theories of entrepreneurship; recognizing and measuring entrepreneurial tendencies; and entrepreneurship in different organizational contexts.

The aims of this module are to introduce you to the field of entrepreneurship; to examine the role entrepreneurship plays in modern economies; to analyse the different types of activity contained within the definition, and the main theoretical and analytical approaches used to understand the concept; to consider entrepreneurial innovation at different stages of a business, from start-up to more mature firms; to enable you to assess their own entrepreneurial tendencies; and to enable you to test their theories in a mini research project.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, you should have a critical appreciation of:

The varying and pervasive role of entrepreneurship within the economy;

The different contexts in which entrepreneurs operate;

The approaches developed by researchers in attempting to understand the entrepreneurial process

Their own entrepreneurial tendencies

A firm academic and empirical understanding of the dimensions and role of entrepreneurship in a modern economy;

The ability to interpret and contextualize commentary and analysis relating to the field;

Select and use appropriate investigative and research skills;

Demonstrate effective essay/report writing skills;

Demonstrate resourcefulness to carry out data collection;

Understand their own skills and opportunities;

Demonstrate a positive attitude towards a challenge.

Assessment

With a multi-talented group of students, you will work on a brief from a real company looking to solve a real social or business problem.

Together with your student team, you will research and build solutions to a business problem, supported by our project tutors, clients and staff. Previous clients include Foster + Partners, Speedo, The London Legacy Development Corporation as well as many other companies, start-ups and charities.

The Collaborative Project provides a means for you to engage in critical enquiry and to be exposed to project-based teamwork in multicultural and interdisciplinary settings. By undertaking this module, you will strengthen your cooperative and collaborative working skills and competencies, whilst raising your awareness and appreciation of cultural and disciplinary diversity and differences.

The Collaborative Project aims to provide you with a hands-on experience of identifying, framing and resolving practice-oriented and real-world based challenges and problems, using creativity and appropriate tools to achieve valuable and relevant solutions. Alongside the collaborative elements of the module, you will be provided with opportunities to network with stakeholders, organisations and corporations, which will give you the experience and skills needed to connect to relevant parties and potentially develop future employment opportunities.

Assessment

This module focuses on developing skilled communication strategies and principles for working in cross-cultural contexts. Key theoretical concepts of `identity', ‘otherisation' and ‘representation' will be introduced through lectures and seminars in order to explore the complex interrelationships between identity, culture and communication. You will be expected to collect and analyse data from the Interdisciplinary Project module to be used for the case study assignment.

The module aims to answer the following important questions: What is culture? How are cultural identities constructed? How do cultural stereotypes impact on communication? How are meanings negotiated? And how are these questions related to working as a contemporary designer?

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

Understand the complex interplay between identity and culture and demonstrate these concepts through application to a relevant design context

Analyse communication events, written texts and visual images to explore how culture and power relations work to produce particular meanings and communicate this in an appropriate language and report structure

Assessment

The Dissertation module will equip you with the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding to embark on your own research project. You will have the choice of three dissertation pathways:

A desk based research project that could be set by an organisation or could be a subject of the student's choice

A project that involves collection of primary data from within an organisation or based on lab and/or field experiments

An Internship within an organisation during which time students will complete a project as part of their role in agreement with the organisation (subject to a suitable placement position being obtained)

By undertaking a dissertation at master's level, you will achieve a high level of understanding in your chosen subject area and will produce a written thesis or project report which will discuss your research in more detail.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The importance of project planning;

The importance of a clear hypothesis or research question;

The ethical implications of research;

The relevant empirical data and methodologies for data collection or knowledge assimilation for the subject area;

Methods of data analysis and their suitability for the intended data;

The areas of expertise or publications of the major individuals or organisations in the subject or business area;

The previous research or current knowledge in the specific subject or business area;

Theoretical perspectives relevant to your chosen topic;

The most effective methods of presentation for data or knowledge;

Developing a clear, coherent and original research question, hypothesis or business problem in a suitable subject area;

Synthesising relevant sources (e.g. research literature, primary data) to construct a coherent argument in response to your research question, hypothesis or business problem;

Analysing primary or secondary data collected by an appropriate method;

Critically evaluating data collected in context with previously published knowledge or information;

Assessment

Optional modules

You will look at a variety of frameworks for assessing entrepreneurs, products, markets, and industries with a view to understanding the importance of thorough market analysis and research prior to planning a new venture.

The aim of this module is to equip you with the background knowledge on strategic positioning and the more practical aspects of business planning.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

Highlight the complexity of the innovation process;

Explain the importance of idea creation and opportunity spotting;

Create critical assessment of a potential product or service;

Explain strategic positioning of a novel business idea;

Analyse data and information in order to make effective decisions;

Recognise and apply self-reflection for personal development;

Demonstrate rational use of business and risk analysis tools to analyse company performance;

Assessment

You will look at the innovation process and risk assessment methods for avoiding failure. We will also look at the risk taking traits of entrepreneurs and the attitude towards failure in society.

The aim of this module is to equip you with a knowledge of the various factors that cause failure of organisations.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module you should be able to:

Identify the multiple causes of failure and interconnectedness of these;

Identify the ways in which organisations and individuals can learn from failure;

Recognise the value of failure as a positive step;

Recognise the need for resilience in the case of failure;

Demonstrate rational use of business and risk analysis tools to analyse company performance;

Select and use appropriate investigative and research skills;

Demonstrate effective report writing skills;

Demonstrate commercial awareness;

Demonstrate problem solving capability.

Assessment

100% Case Study

Future career prospects

You will be well prepared for work within organisations or equipped for self-employment routes. The programme enables you to pursue a broad range of management careers in the private and public sector. In particular, we aim to enhance your career prospects and prepare you for roles in entrepreneurship and the management of small enterprises.

Graduates will also have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and career prospects further by undertaking an MRes or PhD programme.

Your personal development

Enterprise Through the Curriculum is an intrinsic element of every master’s programme at Loughborough University London and has been carefully designed to give students the best possible chance of securing their dream role. From employability profiling to live group projects set by a business or organisation, and from site visits to organisation-based dissertation opportunities, Loughborough University London is the first of its kind to develop a suite of activities and support that is positioned as the underpinning of every student’s experience.

Assessments

Modules are assessed by a combination of essays, group exercises, presentations and time constrained assignments. Subject to your choices, there may also be exams.